Ooops! Something happened and I dropped a barbell from overhead. Am I in trouble?

There may be times when you just can’t hold onto the barbell or kettlebell, or you missed the catch on a snatch, experience sudden injury, etc. Most important: please be aware of your environment at all times and stay alert, especially when it’s crowded, as to who is around you and how close they are. In emergency cases, keep yourself and other members safe…if you cannot prevent the barbell from bailing then at least shout for people to get out of the way.

However, let’s say that you finished your set with no problem and you are moving to the next movement. In that case, we take a very dim view of randomly bailing the bar or kettlebell, especially if you only have the smaller bumpers (10, 15#) or (god help you) metal plates on the bar. Burpee penalty may be assessed accordingly for “phantom barbell” activity. Bars dropped from below the waist may be excused, particularly on heavy deadlift day, but if powerlifters can place 900+ back onto the ground, you probably can too.